Elizabeth, Countess of Saint-Pol
Elizabeth, in French Élisabeth Candavène (c. 1180 – 1240/1247), was the countess of Saint-Pol from 1205 until her death, although her effective rule was limited to the periods 1219–1222 and 1226–1227.
She was born not long after their marriage in 1179 and was named after her older cousin, Isabella of Hainault, who had been betrothed to King Philip II of France.
[3] In 1196, aged about sixteen, Elizabeth married Gaucher III of the House of Châtillon, who was lord of Châtillon-sur-Marne, Crécy-en-Brie, Montjay-la-Tour and Pierrefonds in the Champagne.
The Châtillons were close allies of the king, however, and Elizabeth's marriage represents recognition of the rising power of the crown under Philip II.
[6] In March 1202, Elizabeth returned to Saint-Pol to witness her father's charters as he prepared to leave on the Fourth Crusade.
After Hugh IV died while on crusade, Yolanda retired to her dower estates of Encre and Bucquoy and handed over the county to Gaucher in right of his wife.
[8] Her only known act entirely independent of her husband during their marriage was her request to Pope Honorius III to be allowed to hear Mass even though her county was under interdict.
Hugh remained in Champagne, but Guy travelled to Saint-Pol, where he confirmed with his seal Elizabeth's settlement of a land dispute in July 1220.
In February 1220, in a letter to King Henry III of England, Guy spoke of a "grievance" (Latin querela) against his mother over her entire inheritance, including her dower, lands she had acquired and her English fiefs.
She remained countess and was responsible for the royal service (servitium regis) owed by the county, but she was forced to give up her seal to the keeping of Robert II of Boves.
[13] This arrangement between Elizabeth and Guy was authorized by King Philip and his son, the future Louis VIII, who as count of Artois was the immediate feudal superior of Saint-Pol.
[12] The timing of the demand suggests that the relief was for the castellany of Encre, which Elizabeth inherited on the death of her mother on 4 March 1223.
[14] In May 1223, Guy agreed to take on the 8,000-pound debt in exchange for "the whole county of Saint-Pol and all here land wherever she has it", including her revenues and rights of justice, for a period of ten years.
[14] All that was left to Elizabeth under the agreement of 1223 was the villa and newly constructed castle of Frévent, a pension of 600 pounds and the right to hunt and fish in Lucheux.
She remained legally the countess of Saint-Pol and as such received the homage of the county's vassals and sat with the peers of Artois when they acted as a court.
In May 1226, the lord Heuchin, while preparing to follow Guy on the "Albigensian way", made a donation to the abbey of Saint-Bertin without having time to procure Elizabeth's approval.
[14] In February 1227, she identified herself by both her husband's name and her hereditary title—"Elizabeth of Chatillon, countess of Saint-Pol"—perhaps to stress her position as family matriarch when Guy had left behind two young children, Yolanda and Gaucher.
In July 1227, Hugh swore before the burgers of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise to respect the commune's rights "for how long my term lasts from the conventions that I have with my dearest mother".
[15] In 1228, probably after June, Elizabeth married John, a younger son of the House of Béthune who had followed a military career and possessed neither land nor money.
[16] Shortly after her second marriage, Elizabeth wrote to the abbot of Anchin, from whom she held a small fief, asking him to receive homage from John "whom I legally married".
He charged his ally, Enguerrand III of Coucy, to bring the case before the bishop of Tournai and the archbishop of Reims in November 1228 as a third party.
[19] In 1229, Ferdinand ravaged the county of Saint-Pol "as far as the castle of Frévent", Elizabeth's residence, according to the chronicler William of Andres, who adds that his goal was to "disinherit" Hugh of Châtillon.
By the end of the year the warring factions had made peace, recognizing Louis IX as king with Blanche as regent.
According to the confused note, Hugh wanted to be relieved of the homage owed to Corbie (perhaps by transferring the advocacies to the crown) and at one point complained that "his mother had a fickle will", an indication that his acquisition of Encre had probably not been smooth.
